Card games such as Pai Gow Poker and Baccarat are well known forms of casino-type games. Specifically, these games are attractive to players because these games give the player a reasonable chance of winning their wager. Moreover, these games provide the casinos with a reasonable return for hosting the game.
Baccarat is a live table game that uses a standard deck of fifty-two playing cards. The object of the game of Baccarat is for the bettor to successfully wager on whether the Bank's hand or the Player's hand is going to win. The bettor receives even money for his wager if he selects the winning hand and loses his wager if he selects the losing hand. Each bettor makes a wager on whether the Bank's hand or the Player's hand will win. After all wagers are made, two cards are dealt from the shoe to the Bank position and two cards are dealt from the shoe to the Player position on the table layout. The cards are turned face up and the value of the Bank hand the Player hand is determined, modulo ten. The highest hand value in Baccarat is nine. All hand values range from a low of zero to a high of nine. If when the cards are added together, the total of the hand exceeds nine, then the hand value is determined modulo ten. For example, a seven and a eight total fifteen, but the hand value is five. An Ace and a nine total ten, but the hand value is zero. Whichever of the Bank hand or the Player hand is closest to a total of nine is the winner.
Depending on the point total of the initial Player's hand and the initial Dealer's hand, one more card may be dealt to either the Player's hand, the Dealer's hand or both. The rules for determining whether a third card is dealt are fixed; that is, there is no discretion for either the Player's hand or the Dealer's hand on whether a third card is dealt.
Rule #1: If the initial two card Player hand has a point total of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, the Player hand draws a third card. If the initial two card Player hand has a point total of 6 or 7, the Player hand stands and does not receive a third card.
Rule #2: If the Player hand stands and does not draw a third card, then the Bank hand follows Rule #1. In other words, if the Player hand has a point total of 6 or 7, the Bank hand draws a third card on a point total of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and the Bank hand stands on a point total of 6 or 7.
Rule #3: If the Player hand draws a third card, the Bank hand must draw or stand as follows:
Bank handBank hand DRAWSBank hand STANDStwo cardwhen the Player'swhen the Player'spoint total:hand third card is:hand third card is:0, 1, or 2Bank always draws30, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 9842, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 70, 1, 8 or 954, 5, 6 or 70, 1, 2, 3, 8 or 966 or 70, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 or 97Bank always stands
At the end of each hand, winning wagers are paid and losing wagers are collected by the house. Any commission due to the house is marked in commission boxes in the center of the table.
One drawback of Baccarat is that the draw rules are complicated. Moreover, Baccarat is an unfamiliar game to most bettors. Thus, some players are intimidated from playing.
In Pai Gow Poker, seven cards are dealt to the banker and the players. The banker and players arrange the cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. Each player compares his or her high hand to the banker's high hand and his or her low hand to the banker's low hand. The player wins if both hands outrank the corresponding banker's hands according to conventional poker rankings. If one of the player's hands outranks one of the banker's hands, and the other banker's hand ties or outranks the other player hand, the player and banker “push” and the player neither wins nor loses his wager. If both the banker's hands outrank or tie the player's hands, the player loses his or her wager.
It can be seen that Pai Gow Poker lacks complicated draw rules; the player uses the cards he or she is dealt. Also, the comparison of hands in Pai Gow Poker is still fairly complicated and can be difficult to apply unless the player is familiar with conventional Poker rankings.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a casino card game that is simpler than prior art casino card games yet provides the player with a reasonable chance of winning.